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In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles established Singapore as a British trading colony when he saw the opportunity to feed and protect the growing empire. During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Malaya and defeated the British army in 6 days which then the island was surrendered. The British repossessed the island after 1945 when the Japanese was defeated. Later, Singapore joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.
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